Summer is right on our doorstop and there’s nothing quite like the soft, diffused golden light that accompanies warm summer evenings. It’s a great time to get the family together for a fun summer photo session. A stroll down at Spencer Smith Park or along the trail at Paletta Mansion, a picnic at Webster’s Falls or Bronte Creek Park, or a splashing session at a waterpark. They all make for a fun & relaxed family photo session and we have a special offer too.
Welcome to Summer Special
One hour family portrait session taken at your home or a local outdoor park.
Online web gallery for viewing and sharing the images
Two 8×10 prints & two 5×7 prints
Special Offer: $150
Rate is for up to a family of 4 members ($25 per additional person).
Offer valid for booked & sessions shot by July 31st, 2009
Posted in Ryder Photo, Stuff | Tagged "Ryder Photography", kids, photography, portraits, special offer, summer | 1 Comment »
Last week the ladies from Curves Waterdown, and some of their significant others, climbed aboard the Heart & Stroke’s Big Bike to raise funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. The Big Bike which accommodates a team of 29 riders and one driver is a hoot to see peddle through your local town. The riders seem to have a good time too! The team had great fun making lots of noise, cheering and clanging noise-makers. I’ll have to update the post with the amount they raised but I’m sure they did well.
To register to ride the Big Bike in your town visit the Big Bike Website. Here’s a collection of shots from the Curves Waterdown ride.
Dressed for the occasion
Warm-up exercises
The Curves Waterdown Team
Ready to go...
All aboard
They're off!
On Mill St. North in Waterdown
Posted in Events, Ryder Photo | Tagged "Ryder Photography", Big Bike, Curves, fundraising, Heart & Stroke Foundation, kids, waterdown | Leave a Comment »
Last year I was asked to shoot the team & individual shots of a local baseball league. I found a great supplier (MVP Cards) of sports related photographic products to offer along with the standard prints. They offer pre-printed order envelopes so immediately you have a professional setup for barely any investment, and even though I’m a low volume customer for them, they still delliver wonderful customer service!
I learnt a lot from last year that got incorporated into this year’s photo day. I learnt more again this year that will get carried over to next year as well. I have a lot of fun shooting these kids. It’s interesting to watch them squirm trying not to get picked next (teenage insecurities are a riot) even though everyone gets their photo taken. The best are the T-Ball and Grasshopper teams, so young and cute dressed in uniforms. It’s also a lot of fun getting out shooting now the summer-like weather is here, and it’s a welcome break from weddings and portraits. I enjoy it so much that I’m considering making it a larger part of my business. Guess I need to get proposals together and start conversations with the local sport associations! Here’s a couple of shots from the Freelton Minor Ball group from this morning.
Posted in Events, Ryder Photo | Tagged "Ryder Photography", baseball, Freelton Minor Ball, kids, photography, sports, teams | Leave a Comment »
Catching up on some blogs today so there will likely be a stream of them today.
Maria & Kirk were married back on April 18 at Kettle Creek Weddings in the Fireside Room. A lovely couple who even though they chose a small, quiet wedding, felt that capturing the day was still important to them. A beautiful short ceremony, some family photos and a few more shots of the newlyweds. No matter how small, or intimate, a wedding is it’s worthwhile finding a photographer that will capture your wedding. Here’s a few from Maria & Kirk’s special day.
Posted in Ryder Photo, Weddings | Tagged "Ryder Photography", kettle creek weddings, photography, wedding | 1 Comment »
I’m still not a soccer mum yet, but Thomas did start Blastball with his first game yesterday. Blastball is a non-competitive introduction to baseball for pre-schoolers. Two teams, one at bat, one fielding. The batter hits the ball off the stand and then races to base, jumping on the base for a good “honk” sound. Meanwhile 5 players from the opposing team all chase after the ball. There are no winners or losers, there’s no score keeping, just great fun for the kids, and parents.
As we prepared to go to the local park for the first game Thomas was adament he didn’t want to play. That soon changed when he began to realize what it was all about. Dressed in a royal blue team shirt and new “W”aterdown ball cap he quickly looked the part, even taking up some traditional baseball poses while in the diamond.
At first he’d hit the ball then chase after it but quickly understood he needed to run to base. When fielding, he kept a very keen eye on the ball. During the last inning in the field Thomas was quick and scooped up the balls from 4 of the 5 batters.
Game time is 6:30pm every Monday for 9 weeks. The evening light was golden although shooting into it for most angles. Next week they are on a different diamond and should be well lit if it’s a sunny evening. Here’s a small collection of last night’s photos.
Ready to play
Jumping on the 'blast' base
Two racing for the base - not exactly what should happen in the game
Making base
Good hand-eye coordination - the Wii is paying off 
Totally looks the part!
One happy little guy!
Thrilled to have scooped up the ball
Posted in The Ryders & Family, Thomas | Tagged baseball, blastball, fun, kids, minor league, photography, sports, sports photography, Thomas | 2 Comments »
As I was heading for home today I saw smoke from a grass fire and a fire truck racing to the scene. I had just finished up shooting a wedding and was loaded with camera gear so of course I had to take the opportunity to take some shots. The fire apparantly started when an ember from a fire pit was caught by the wind and carried to the dry grasses where it quickly ignited and spread.
Three fire trucks from Waterdown and another from Burlington responded to the fire. Crews worked to control the fire before it spread to the woodlands at the top of the escarpment behind Bethel Christian Reformed Church. Here’s a selection of images.
Posted in Ryder Photo, Stuff | Tagged "Ryder Photography", Burlington, fire, fire fighters, grass fire, Kerns Rd, ontario, photography, waterdown | Leave a Comment »
If your doctor has ever asked you to do a 12 hour, or worse yet, a 24 hour fast before blood work or surgery you likely grumbled and groaned, wondering how you will ever get through the fast without eating. You stomach maybe rumbled for food, you might have felt a tad nauseous, but you struggled through it looking forward to the moment you could eat again.
Yesterday I put myself on a 24 hour fast, deliberately! No, I’m not crazy, well not certifiably anyway. A fellow photographer I connected with on Twitter happened to comment I lived in the same area as a ‘famed nutrition scientist’. Given my degree is in nutritional sciences my interest was peaked. I Goggled the name “Brad Pilon” and came across his Eat Stop Eat site, dedicated to the role of intermittent fasting in burning body fat.
After browsing Brad’s site I purchased his eBook hoping to find gems on how to fast easily. To my surprise there was very little information regarding the actual way to fast, guess it really is simply, don’t eat calories! The nuggets of knowledge as to how & why intermittent fasting works to burn body fat were enough for me to know it was worth a try. Note here, you can’t talk about nutrition to layman terms very well. It’s a complicated science with many factors influencing each other, so if you read Brad’s book and have no nutritional background don’t get disheartened, just give it a go.
The results! I’m not talking about pounds lost because it’s one fast, plus weighing yourself daily is truly pointless. The result is I made it through the fast easier than I ever thought possible. Did I think I was hungry? Yes! Did I want to eat? Yes! But it was refreshing not having to think about what’s for supper. It helped that Justin was working nights and Thomas wanted a cheese sandwich & veggies for supper.
Check out Eat Stop Eat intermittent fasting if you’re interested.
Posted in Stuff | Tagged "Ryder Photography", Brad Pilon, Eat Stop Eat, fasting | Leave a Comment »
Today is my first 24 hour fast on Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat program. I’ve never been a fan of fasting in order to reduce body fat because fasting causing your body to go into starvation mode, right? Wrong! Since my educational background is nutritional sciences I was intrigued to read the results of Brad’s research and what led him to write his eBook Eat Stop Eat.
Long story short, I had breakfast at 7:30 this morning and I know 7:30 tomorrow morning won’t come soon enough. Keep busy, drink lots of fluids, maybe chew a piece on sugarless gum and get an early night, real early night and I might just make it until tomorrow morning.
One of the benefits of fasting once or twice a week is obvious, the reduction in calories, but to think this behaviour can also tame our obsession with food, with wanting, maybe not needing, 3 square meals (and snacks) everyday really has my interest spiked.
I’ll let you know how I make out tomorrow.
Posted in Stuff | Tagged 24 hours, Brad Pilon, calories, Eat Stop Eat, eating, fasting | Leave a Comment »
Each Spring I run a special offer for Mother’s Day. Often Dads buy a session for Mom & the kids together, sometimes the whole family gets together. Whatever the group is, the reason is always to celebrate Mom! Treat you wife, your mother, or yourself to a relaxing & fun portrait session this Mother’s Day.
Offer includes:
One hour personal portrait session for beautiful, natural pictures taken at your home or a local outdoor park.
Online web gallery for viewing the pictures
Two 8×10 prints & two 5×7 prints
Special Offer: $150
Offer is valid until Mother’s Day, May 10th. Sessions can be booked for anytime during April & May. Applicable taxes apply.
Posted in Ryder Photo | Tagged "Ryder Photography", gift ideas, kids, mom, mother's day, Mum, ontario, photo, photography, portrait | Leave a Comment »
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